As someone who’s been blessed with the ability to commune with my ancestors, I have never relied on recipes to cook. How much fish sauce for my nước chấm? Just keep pouring until grandma’s ghost-whispers stop.
Unfortunately I have no spiritual connection to Gareth Whitton, the pastry chef behind Melbourne’s Tarts Anon and author of a two-page recipe for pea and feta tart, which advises to “never underestimate the value of a stick blender” and repeatedly warns to not “overwork” the dough. When it comes to cooking, I’m a veteran eye-baller; I don’t even own a measuring cup. Shortcrust pastry requires precision I would never normally attempt nor achieve. But all this pastry pain and preparation is for Cookbook Club Naarm.
